Schuylerville was the site of the surrender of the British Army under General John Burgoyne following the Battles of Saratoga (1777) in the nearby Town of Stillwater. Schuylerville contains several historic buildings, including the General Schuyler House, part of the Saratoga National Historical Park, and Old Saratoga Reformed Church. The schools of the Schuylerville Central School District are located in the village as are the offices of the Town of Saratoga. The village is served by a public library, Fort Hardy Park, a visitor's center, Schuyler Hose Company volunteer fire department and several churches. Village government consists of a mayor and four trustees.

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Inhabited by Native Americans from at least 1,200 years ago, the region was settled by Dutch settlers from Albany, New York in 1691 and called Fort Saratoga. These settlers included the Schuyler family. Conflicts occurred among the French, Mohawk, Mohican, Dutch, and English peoples. The peace of 1763 between France and England resulted in this area being available for settlement. Homes and mills were built by European Americans, including General Phillip Schuyler's flax mill in 1767 (the first of its kind in the American Colonies).[2]

In 1777 the British Army under General John Burgoyne crossed the Hudson River one half mile north of Schuylerville (known then as Saratoga) on their campaign from Canada to Albany in an attempt to end the American Revolution by splitting the colonies in two. The British marched south about 9 miles to Bemis Heights near present-day Stillwater where American troops engaged them in the two Battles of Saratoga, the first on September 19 and the second on October 7, 1777. The British advance was stopped by the American forces and the British retreated back northward to an encampment along Fish Creek just outside the village. The Saratoga Battle Monument in the Village of Victory, Saratoga County, New York is located near the site of the British encampment.

American forces blocked further British retreat and surrounded the encampment. With winter approaching and no hope of escape, the British were forced to surrender. On October 17, 1777, General Burgoyne surrendered his army to American General Horatio Gates, marking the turning point of the American Revolution. The British laid down their arms in what is now Fort Hardy Park in the Village of Schuylerville. The American victory at Saratoga was enough to convince France to throw their support to the American cause, and Spain would eventually follow France's lead.

The Marshall House lies one mile north of the village center on US Highway 4 and NY Highway 32. It was made famous by the publication of Baroness Frederika Riedesel's Letters and Journals relating to the War of the American Revolution and the Capture of the German Troops at Saratoga.

This house was built in 1770-1773. During the closing days of the Battles of Saratoga, Baroness Riedesel with her three infant daughters sheltered there, together with the wives of British army officers and wounded personnel. Her account of the travails of those around her, her keen insight into the personalities of the principal officers of both the British and American armies, and her devotion to her husband in peril have led some commentators to name her as the first woman war correspondent.

The Marshall House was bombarded by the Americans who assumed it to be an enemy headquarters. Within are conserved cannonballs and other reminders of the ordeal suffered by those who took refuge there. The stone cellar, made famous by the baroness, is largely unchanged. The Marshall House is the sole remaining witness building to the Battles of Saratoga. The owners welcome visitors by appointment.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2), of which, 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (10.34%) is water.

As of the census[5] of 2010, there were 1,386 people, 593 households, and 356 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,622.5 people per square mile (1012.4/km2). There were 663 housing units at an average density of 1,254.5 per square mile (484.3/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 96.4% White, 1.2% African American, 0.9% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.3% of the population.

There were 593 households out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.8% were married couples living together, 16.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the village, the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 20, 22.7% from 20 to 34, 22.2% from 35 to 49, 16.6% from 50 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.1 years.

According to the 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates,[6] the median income for a household in the village was $55,284, and the median income for a family was $67,768. Males had a median income of $50,625 versus $32,629 for females. The per capita income for the village was $24,157. About 7.8% of families and 12% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 18.9% of those age 65 or over.

In the March 25, 1990 issue of The New York Times, writer James Howard Kunstler published a piece entitled "Schuylerville Stands Still". He portrayed Schuylerville as an example of rural "rot and disrepair", citing unemployment, broken sidewalks, and dented cans at Mini Mart, a local mini market. Residents reacted negatively to his feature.[citation needed] Kunstler also used Schuylerville as an example of a town in decline in a chapter titled "The loss of community" in his 1993 book, The Geography of Nowhere.

In a press release from the EPA dated February 8, 2007, the EPA announced that the dredging would not start until 2009 because of various project complications. The debate over dredging the Hudson River created tension within the community from the mid- to late-1990s to about 2003. The debate was heated for some time, with some residents skeptical as to whether dredging will make the problem better or worse. This is said to be the largest Superfund project in the United States.